New downtown Blue Ridge parking lot is open

BLUE RIDGE, Ga. – Officials with the city of Blue Ridge announced Thursday, Feb. 1, a new city parking lot is now open and available for downtown visitors to use.

The lot, located on West Main Street between Mountain and Messer streets where Temple Baptist Church once stood, has a per-car, cash only fee of five dollars.

Parking booth located at the entrance of the new Blue Ridge city parking lot on West Main Street.

Parking patrons will need to pick up an envelope containing a perforated ticket from the side of the red-colored parking booth at the entrance to the lot. After filling out the main portion of the ticket with the driver’s name and telephone number, vehicle model, license tag number and date, the stub of the ticket should be placed somewhere in clear view on the dash of the vehicle and the main portion of the ticket, along with five dollars cash, can be dropped in the lock box atop the red booth using the envelope to seal the contents.

Visitors using the parking lot are encouraged to lock their vehicles and take any valuables with them. Overnight parking is not permitted at the lot, and the city of Blue Ridge is not responsible for any damage to and/or theft from vehicles parked in the lot.

At their Jan. 9 meeting, the Blue Ridge City Council voted to enter into a lease with Blue Ridge Hotel, LLC to use the lot for parking until mid-July. As rent for use of the lot, the city will share a 50/50 revenue split with Blue Ridge Hotel, LLC after expenses related to the city’s operation of the lot are deducted. The lot is expected to hold up to 300 vehicles.

“The mayor and council are dedicated to finding a long-term solution to the parking issues we face in downtown Blue

Parking patrons at the West Main Street lot will need to fill out this parking ticket provided by the city of Blue Ridge.

Ridge,” Councilwoman Rhonda Thomas-Haight stated on the city’s Facebook page. “While we work on a comprehensive plan, we are pleased to welcome this short-term solution.”

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Born in Merrillville, Indiana, raised in Cleveland, Tennessee, and currently resides in Copperhill, Tennessee. Graduated from Bradley Central High School in 1996 and attended the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, eventually earning a B.A. and M.A. in English. Hobbies include hiking, camping and fly-fishing. Interests include baseball, hockey and cliff jumping.